Over the weekend, thousands of protesters turned out nationwide in order to pay tribute to George Floyd — an unarmed black man who died after Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer, kneeled on his neck during an arrest last week. The four officers at the scene were all fired, and Chauvin has been criminally charged with third degree murder + manslaughter
Greenville was no exception with hundreds of protestors marching through the streets of downtown both Saturday and Sunday speaking out to advocate for racial equality.
Protests in Greenville were largely peaceful with only a few altercations and instances of interference. Mayor Knox White spoke at one of the Saturday protests + other state and local leaders and organizations have spoken out in support of the movement like Governor Henry McMaster, members of the SC law enforcement community, and the Greenville Police Department among others.
Mayor Knox White also met with Upstate activists on Monday morning outside of City Hall, and he hosted a joint media briefing via Facebook Live yesterday afternoon with the City of Greenville, Greenville Police Department, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, Urban League of the Upstate, and the Greenville Branch of the NAACP. As of January 2020, Greenville is only the second city in SC to pass a Hate Crime Law.
Now, we want to know what questions you have about the protests or paths forward for the city. What do you want to know? What information can we provide? How can we best utilize our platform to facilitate and elevate meaningful dialogue? You can share your thoughts and questions here.
We’d also love to hear your perspective, especially if you’re a black community member, via our Voices platform, where we turn the mic over to you – our diverse and vibrant community – to share your take on how Greenville can better facilitate conversations on these important topics.
